


Defection

by sophia_m



Series: New Beginnings [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Armitage Hux Needs A Hug, Darth Tantrum and his Evil Space Ginger, Denial of Feelings, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Kylo Ren Angst, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Kylo Ren Redemption, Kylo Ren is a Mess, M/M, Millicent the cat - Freeform, Redeemed Ben Solo, They all need hugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-02-22 09:22:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13163967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophia_m/pseuds/sophia_m
Summary: After the destruction of Starkiller Base, instead of taking the injured Kylo back to Supreme Leader Snoke to have his training completed, Hux decides to take the boy back to his mother on D'Qar.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I watched The Last Jedi on Christmas Day and while I loved it, it's probably in my top 3 favourite Star Wars film (Rogue One, Ep. V and VI), I couldn't help but think how the story would be changed if the ending of TFA was different. And I put Millicent the cat simply because she's a guilty pleasure of mine but I might edit her out later. I know it ain't the best but I hope you guys like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I watched The Last Jedi on Christmas Day and while I loved it, it's probably in my top 3 favourite Star Wars film (Rogue One, Ep. V and VI), I couldn't help but think how the story would be changed if the ending of TFA was different. And I put Millicent the cat simply because she's a guilty pleasure of mine but I might edit her out later. I don't know if this will a multiple chapter story because I'm horrible that those or just a one-shot. I know it ain't the best but I hope you guys like this.

Standing over Ren's limp body, Hux can't help but pull his jacket back and rest his hand on his blaster. He watches the younger man's chest slowly rise and fall for a moment before dropping his jacket with a sigh. Grabbing Ren's lightsaber from the snow, he hides it in his jacket before carefully putting an arm under Ren's neck and another beneath his knees to lift him to his chest, letting Ren's head fall back against his shoulder. Entering his Imperial Shuttle, he deposes Ren's body onto a seat with a loud thump. Millicent watches her owner with only a small meow. Hux turns to her, gently petting the top of her head before watching her jump onto Ren's lap as he quickly leaves the collapsing planet.

Once he feels as though they are at a safe enough distance, he looks over his shoulder to check on Ren. The wound across his face doesn't seem as bad now as it had when he was laying in the snow. Hux's communicator vibrates on his dashboard before the voice of Mitaka comes through, relaying a repeat of the orders from the Supreme Leader.

He turns his communicator off before Mitaka can finish his message.  Ren's breathing is still shallow and it's causing worry to begin building up in Hux's chest. Deleting the coordinates he set, Hux places those of D'Qar before swiftly disabling the ship's tracker and communicator. Half of his mind is repeatedly screaming at him "What are you doing?" while the other half, the half that Hux feels as though he's leaning towards, argues back that Ren will only continue to be tortured and injured by Snoke and Hux is actually going to save Ren's life by doing this. "This makes you a traitor, you ought to be executed." The first half states before Hux screams at himself to shut up. 

As his scream fades, Hux glances back over at Ren, whose head briefly jerks up before lolling back. Millicent arches her back as she hops down from Ren's lap to wrap herself around Hux's legs in worry. Telling Millicent that he is alright, he tugs his gloves up, curling his fingers into fists while trying to even out his breath as he allows the ship to jump into hyperspace. As they travel, he considers the outcomes of this decision. Either the ship, with them in it, is blown to pieces as they try to land; they are both shot on sight as they disembark; they're held as prisoners for the rest of their lives, or they're both executed before night falls. 

Leaving hyperspace, Hux swallows dryly while uncurling his hands. The next few minutes will determine which of the outcomes will come to fruition. As he enters D'Qar's atmosphere, he tightly grips the edge of the dashboard. He can see the Rebel base already and the large number of people gathered, some armed. As he flies the ship closer to the base itself, the men on the ground who are armed lift their weapons without a moment's hesitation. Landing the shuttle, Hux moves to Ren's side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to pull him up to his feet and bring him to the doors of the ship. Millicent follows the two men on silent feet. So outcome 2 through 4 still remain as viable options. 

As the doors begin to open, Hux's hold around Ren tightens. A blaster goes off, going through the door over Hux's head. A few more are fired off as the doors fully open, just missing the two of them before a woman's voice shouts out for them to stop. Hux recognizes the woman as General Organa, through in some of the pictures he has seen, she did appear taller. Stepping forward from the crowd, she dismisses the man who steps up behind her with a small wave of her hand. As though she's only now noticing the second body, she turns and shouts for a medic. A team quickly rushes up to the shuttle, pushing a stretcher up with them, the young man from behind Organa, following them as well, grabbing a pair of cuffs from another soldier.

Hux instinctively draws back, pulling Ren closer to his side. It takes a weak groan of pain from an unconscious Ren to finally get Hux to loosen his grip enough that they can extract Ren and move him onto the stretcher. As they move him back to the base, Hux tries to follow them but is stopped by the man with an order to hand over his blaster and then hold out his arms. Despite glaring up at Hux, he does give the man his blaster before holding out his arms. Holstering his blaster and closing the cuffs around his wrists, the man grabs the collar of Hux's jacket and jerks him forward as he presses the blaster into his back with his other hand. 

The man marches Hux right through the crowd and into the base. He can see the medical team disappearing down a hall and as he tries to follow them, he's roughly shoved forward from behind before being dragged down a separate hallway. Millicent pauses for a moment, meowing after Hux only to go after the medical team and Ren. Thrown into an empty cell, Hux watches as the man slams the doors shut, locking it before walking off. 

Hux is only in the cell for around 20 minutes before Organa is unlocking it and asking him to stand and follow her. Slightly confused, Hux complies and awkwardly tries to stand to his feet with his wrists still cuffed together. Organa is alone, without any weapons but Hux has a strong suspicion that she would still win if he tried anything. She brings him back up the way he was brought down before turning down the hallway that the medical team had gone. His hearts leaps into his throat for a brief moment as they approach closed glass doors. Through the glass, Hux can see Kylo lying on a bed, his chest rising and falling in a more steady manner but his eyes still closed. Millicent is sitting on up one of the medicine cabinets in the room, watching Ren with careful eyes as she tail moves back and forth. The young man is standing in the corner, still holding the blaster, talking to a young lady, the only other person in the room.

"He is still alive," Organa comments from Hux's side before asking for him to lift his arms. Hux does so and is slightly surprised when she removes his cuffs. From inside the room, the man's eyes narrow his eyes at the General's actions. Before Hux can step away from her, she reaches out to him and presses a finger against his forehead. A sharp pain goes through Hux's head as stars begin to dot his vision. After a moment, it disappears and Organa has dropped her arm back to her side. Giving Hux a tight smile, she comments, "We didn't want you in the room at first. It would have terrified the medics working on my son to have a General of the First Order in the same room as them. You have already met Poe and I believe you have heard of Rey. She is leaving soon however she wanted an update on Ben before she did so." 

Hux nods stiffly, not trusting himself to stay anything. He surprises himself as he turns and gives Organa a small bow of thanks as the doors slide open.

Entering, he feels Poe and Rey turn to look at him. Straightening up while rolling his shoulders, he rubs the spots on his wrists where the cuffs had been and walks to Ren's side, taking a seat in the chair before the top of the bed. Rey, slowly, approaches him, clearing her throat. Hux looks over at her, surprised to see her holding out a hand. Firmly shaking it, he tilts his chin up in greeting as Millicent gracefully jumps to the floor and curls herself around Hux's legs with a soft purr before she lies down under the chair. 

"Ben will be fully healed, there will be a scar for a while but it will eventually disappear." She says, reassuring Hux without realizing it. 

Clearing his own throat, Hux asks, "Where is the defector?" When neither Rey or the young man, Poe, respond, he adds, "The stormtrooper, FN-2187?"

With clear irritation in his voice, Poe snaps, "You are a defector as well in case you forgot. You would be killed if you were ever found by the First Order again."

Rey sets a hand on his arm as she whispers something to him that Hux is unable to hear before turning back to him. "Finn is unconsciousness, however-"

"Because of Ren!" Poe cuts in, snarling coldly only to be scolded by Rey again while Millicent raises her head.

"- I think he'll be fine." Rey finishes. "Goodbye Poe, Hux." She offers Hux a small smile but he can tell it's forced, not that he fully blames her. 

He looks over at Poe with a sharp glare, silently asking for privacy but Poe only shakes his head until his communicator goes off. Turning away from Hux, he answers it. Hux can hear that it is Organa on the other end but not what words she's saying. Shutting it off, Poe shakes his head, while moving to the doors. 

"Do not even think of trying anything," Poe warns Hux as he leaves the room, the glass doors quietly closing behind him. 

Hux grabs Ren's hand as it falls over the edge of the bed with a deep sigh while gently trace a finger along the bandaged wound down Ren's face. He winces at the cold skin that greets him but that coldness only makes him tighten his hold on the hand. Neither outcome seems to have arrived so far; they weren't blown up, shot, imprisoned or executed yet but there is always tomorrow, Hux whispers to himself as Ren's hand gently twitches in his grip.


	2. Chapter 2

Apparently, there was a fifth outcome that hadn't crossed Hux's mind. The both of them are allowed to live.

He remained beside Ren's side until the younger man suddenly sat up, screaming. Startled, Hux fell off the chair to the floor while Millicent jumped from underneath the chair with a loud hiss, her sleep having been disturbed, as the glass doors were opened to allow a team of medics to enter. A woman pulled Hux out of the room, telling him that they'll call him back in a moment before allowing the doors to close. Pacing outside in the hall, Hux waited, patiently at first until the minutes begin to tick by and still no one gave him any updates. Through the glass he could see the team crowded around Ren, shouting orders at each other. Millicent has returned to sitting on a medical cabinet, carefully watching over their work. As he went to open the doors, a hand on his shoulder pulled him back. He turned to find Organa standing behind him, a sad look on her face, asking him to follow her.

And that how he ends up sitting at a table with her and Poe and a few other resistance members stabbing at his food with a fork. He has still not be given an update on Ren's condition, other than when the woman who pulled him from the room came down and whispered to Organa that Ren is awake. When Hux stood to follow her, Poe grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and pulled him back down. He's confused why he hasn't been put back in the cell and why he has been given the same food that the rest of the Resistance eat but he doesn't question it, deciding it would be better not to disrespect Organa's actions. He can hear people talking around them, about him. About what a General of the First Order is doing here and how and why is he still alive. None making an attempt to keep their voices lowered. He's able to control his anger at the statements made about him but then he hears someone mutter that the medical team should just have allowed Ren to die, and Hux can't help but stand to his feet, leaving the table before Poe can grab onto him. Hux hears Organa tell him to sit back down but he only shakes his head and goes after the man, grabbing him by his shoulder and slamming him down on a table. Those sitting at it, jump to their feet, shouting at Hux.

Two of them throw themselves at Hux, pulling him off the smaller man. One of them manages to get an arm around Hux's neck, wrestling him to the ground. Hux can feel himself suffocating as he claws at the arm, gasping for air; he's convinced that he'll be allowed to die until he realizes that Organa is shouting for him to be released. The man only tightens his hold, muttering something about his brother, but then someone's pulling him away from Hux. Stumbling back to his feet, Hux tugs on the collar of his shirt while trying to regain his composure. Everyone in the room has their eyes on him now, disgust evident on their faces. Hux regrets not having considered using Ren's lightsaber on the men, that would have stopped them in his tracks and shown everyone not to mess with them again. Turning to Organa, he orders that he be allowed to return to Ren's side again. Poe moves between them, warning Hux to watch himself and to remember that he's here without cuffs or back in the prison cell on the orders of Organa. Hux only sneers back at the man. With a small sigh, Organa asks Poe to bring Hux back to her son and then to leave them alone. At her words, the man who made the statement turns red and slowly takes a seat at a table. Poe gives Organa a small nod before asking Hux to follow him.

Hux is rather shocked when Poe does bring him back to Ren. Poe quietly speaks to the team present as Hux takes his seat back by Ren's side, who's still awake and sitting up and Millicent jumps onto the foot of the bed, curling up by Ren's feet with a soft purr. Hux's eyes go to Ren's face where the bandages have been removed, showing a wound has appeared to have already begun healing. As he looks over the rest of Ren's body, Hux is troubled when he finds the top of his shirt, now with multiple rips, is drenched in sweat and blood, wondering why they haven't changed him or at least removed the soiled shirt. The team begins to clear out of the room until Poe and a woman remain. The woman, pointing to a table where a tray of food and water rests, asks Hux to make sure he eats something before going after the others. Poe briefly glances over the two of them before stating that while Organa trusts the two of them to be together alone, he doesn't and will be keeping a close eye on them. Hux starts to say something in reply, probably a snark reply like those he would give Ren when Ren cuts him off.

"If my mother asked you to let us remain alone, I would suggest you do so." Ren states before looking over at Hux where he's startled to find worry and fear etched on his face. Ren's quiet and sounds fragile, nothing like Hux has ever heard before and it does worry him. Poe's jaw gives a small twitch before he too turns and leaves. "Why would you bring me here? If Supreme Leader Snoke finds us, he will kill you for doing this." Hux is surprised to hear concern in Ren's voice.

"When you return from training, you are always exhausted and weak and it takes days for you to recover. If I brought you to him for your final stage of training, you would be killed. If not soon after," Hux replies curtly as he again reaches out to find Ren's hand. Ren's skin feels warmer this time around as Hux's closes his hand around Ren's. Ren glances down at where their fingers are entwined with a small frown but doesn't say or do anything. "What did they say to you?"

Ren clears his throat, coughing, as he looks up from their hands. "They said that I should make a full recovery but that it'll take a while." As he starts coughing again, Hux gets up to grab the glass of water but Ren gives a small tug on his hand, making him sit back down. Trying to lift the glass and bring it to himself, Ren's hand begins shaking. The glass manages to hover in the air for a moment before it falls to the ground, smashing into shards, startling Millicent to her feet.

With a disgruntled sigh, Hux moves to clean it up but again Ren pulls him back telling him to leave it. Hux can see something flicker in Ren's eyes and realizes it's worry. Worry that he's lost his gift. Hux isn't sure if he should be relieved that Ren can no longer choke him or anyone else or ruin anything else in a fit of rage or be concerned that it means something else is wrong with Ren and how the loose of his gift might change Ren. He settles on the latter and tightens his grip on Ren's hands until Ren has to ask him to loosen up.

"What happened to your neck?" Ren questions as Hux drops his hand and stands, walking over to get the tray of food. Setting the tray down on Ren's lap, he tugs the collar of his jacket higher and mutters nothing. Ren wants to push the matter further and had it been a few days ago, he would have but now he just stares down at the food. As he lifts the first forkful of food to his mouth, the thought that perhaps someone might try to poison him passes through his head. "Have you been given food already?"

"Before I came back up here, they gave me some food; served from the same main dishes as the others. They're not poisoning you, Ren, eat something. " Hux sits back down before asking, "Poe said that your mother trusts us to be alone, why would she?"

Ren glances down at Millicent, holding an open hand out to her. She leans forward, pressing her head against Ren's palm with a faint rumble from her chest. Looking back up at Hux, Ren responds, "She looked into our heads; I presume that she didn't find anything that would make her worry. Why would you save my life?" Ren changes the subject with ease as he finally starts eating.

Leaning forward, Hux gently wipes away dried blood from Ren's cheek, turning red when he realizes what he's doing. A flush climbs up Ren's neck as he weakly smirks at Hux whose blush darkens as he sits back. 

Briefly glaring at Ren before looking down at Millicent who returns his stare with a small head tilt, Hux states, "I didn't say that I saved your life," before frowning as he adds, "So don't say that I did." It will make this too real for the both of them. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the reads. I hope everyone's liking this story so far.

It doesn't take long for Ren to finish eating once he started. Millicent frequently paws at his leg, asking for a piece while Hux paces around the room, his arms folded behind his back. Ren can tell that Hux wants to ask him something, occasionally turning sharply on his heels and opening his mouth only to reconsider and turn back away. Hux can also tell that Ren wants to ask him something, feeling the younger man's eyes on him as he walks around. Resting the tray of food at the end of the bed, Ren allows Millicent to scavenge through the morsels of meat that remain. Taking a deep breath, Hux pauses by the doors and turns back to Ren.

"Are you upset that I brought you here?" Hux asks as the doors open, startling the two of them. 

Before Ren can respond, a woman enters the room with a frown, holding a set of clothes in her arms. Hux immediately dislikes her. She looks over at the tray, grimacing when Millicent meows up at her. "Has that cat been checked for diseases?" She asks while holding out the clothing to Hux. When he only raises an eyebrow at her, she grits her teeth before replying. "He needs to be changed."

"Shouldn't that be your job?" Ren retorts from the bed. The woman doesn't offer them a reply to that question other than to shove the clothes against Hux's chest. Glancing down at the floor where the broken glass still remains, her frown deepens. She begins to step towards it but seems to change her mind and looks back at Millicent, stating, "If the cat is not clean, it needs to be removed from the medical wing immediately," before trying to grab Millicent by the scruff her neck. With a howl, she sinks her claws into the woman's arm causing her to drop Millicent who jumps from the bed and escapes from the room.

"I wouldn't do that again if I were you." Ren scowls as the bedframe slowly begins to shake. 

Rubbing her arm where the claws dug in, she quickly leaves the room as well. The moment the doors close behind her, the shaking ceases and Ren collapses back on the bed. Normally, Hux would have rolled his eyes at Ren's theatrics but not today, not anymore. Now, Hux only walks to the bed without a word to Ren as he sets the clothes down. Ren glares up at Hux, shaking his head. "You are not helping me change." He protests.

"Do you believe that idea of me helping you dress makes me happy Ren? Unfortunately, however, I don't think anyone here is inclined to take up this task so you will have to deal with me. Are you, at least, able to sit up?" With a groan, Ren slowly does attempt to sit up. Hux can tell that the small amount of energy released that resulted in the bed shaking has exhausted Ren. Even if he truly wanted to, Ren won't be able to fight Hux on this. "Take off your top, or do you require my assistance?"

His arms are trembling as he grabs his shirt and tries to rip it apart. When he can't rip it or pull it over his head, he looks helplessly up at Hux as tears gather in his eyes, appearing much more like a young boy than the fearsome commander of the First Order that many have come to see him as. It makes Hux feel extremely uncomfortable but none the less he steps forward and mindfully rips the rest of Kylo's shirt open, discarding it on the floor. He tries to keep his eyes trained past Ren's shoulder and not on the multiple cuts and scars that mark his chest but he can't help it. He glances down, wincing without realizing it. He doesn't want to imagine how severe some of the wounds must have been to leave scars such as these.  

"They don't hurt," Ren says, reading Hux's face. "Supreme Leader Snoke taught us how to block out the pain."

Nodding, Hux blinks a couple of times in an attempt to block the image of his scarred chest out of his mind. "Are you able to stand Ren, I need to get you out of your bottoms." 

In any other scenario, Ren would have made a snide comment at his choice of words but now he can only shake his head meekly, struggling to say that he can't stand on his own. Hux carefully wraps an arm around Ren's waist, ignoring the increase of his heartbeat in favour of helping Ren swing his legs over the edge of the bed and getting him to stand. Taking a seat on the bed, Hux undoes the top of Ren's pants while keeping his eyes focused on Ren's face where he can see his jaw trembling. As he begins to pull the pants down, Ren clamps a hand down on Hux's arms with surprising strength, whispering for him to stop.

Hux only pauses for a moment before pulling the pants the rest of the way off. Hux regrets focusing on Ren's face when he sees the tears begin to fall. Trying to keep his breathing even, Hux quickly grabs the clean pants and switches their positions, gently sitting Ren down on the bed while he stands. They share a look before Ren squeezes his eyes shut, a whimper that Hux will pretend he never heard slipping from between his lips, and allows Hux to pull the pants on. He wordlessly lifts his arms to allow Hux to easily pull the new shirt on and lays back on the bed, tightly clenching the bedsheets in his fists once he has been dressed. 

Hux gathers up the ruined clothes, using them to clean the spilled water up and to pick up the pieces of the glass, before discarding everything in the bin. He glances over at Ren whose eyes are focused on the wall past Hux. With a sigh, Hux returns to the bed and pulls the chair back up to it. As he sits down, Hux tugs the sheets up to Ren's shoulders before brushing loose strands of hair from his sweaty forehead. When Ren doesn't say anything to this, Hux grabs Ren's hand in his, something that appears to be becoming a norm for him and gives him a small squeeze. Ren's eyes have drifted close and to Hux, he appears to have fallen asleep, but as Hux decides to follow his lead and lean back in the chair, eyes closing, he hears Ren croaks out,

"No. I am not."


	4. Chapter 4

When the medical team returns to check up on Ren, they find him asleep, his hand dangling over the side of the bed where it's tightly gripped by Hux's hand who is also still asleep in the chair. They work quietly around them, giving Ren another dose of medication and emptying out his trash bin. As they are emptying the trash, one of the team accidentally drops the bin as it hits the ground with a loud clang, it startles Hux awakes. Stumbling to his feet, his hand goes for the blaster by his side only to remember that Poe took it from him. He glares up at the team, warning them that they better not have woken Ren. As he looks over each person, he's glad that none are the woman from earlier. As he sits back down, his hand going back to Ren's, he says that he managed to get Ren to eat the food and changed his clothes before he fell asleep. 

The team tell him their thanks, saying none of them felt comfortable doing it themselves and saying that they'll be bringing Ren more food in a couple of hours before telling Hux that if he wants to follow them, they'll bring him to his new quarters where he can get some better quality sleep. Hux turns their offer down, saying he'd rather remain with Ren. To make sure that nothing happens to him from any angry resistance member. Two of the team share a look which irks Hux but he doesn't say anything to them about it, these people aren't like the ones from the mess hall, they appear to actually care about Ren's well-being and he'd rather not lose any potential people who he could befriend for help. 

The team tell him that that's perfectly fine but if he changes his mind, the room will remain there for him, Millicent, who they found terrorizing Poe, and Ren, who once he has improved will be permitted to move there as well. Hux nods, telling them that he understands. As the team leaves, they give Hux the room's code and wish him well. Hux wants to wake Ren and ask him what he meant by saying that he wasn't but he does want Ren to sleep. Despite all their difference, Hux does want Ren to recover and feel better. He knows that they can never return to the way they were before; their life, personalities and the relationship between them are all going to have to change. Here, they will truly need to work together to be able to survive. Those from the mess-hall are only a small portion of those here who would like to see both Hux and Ren gone. 

After what Hux just went through with Ren, he already knows the dynamic between them had changed. If someone that told Hux while they were still part of the First Order that he would see Ren in his weakest state and then proceed to help him dress or that he would go after a man who wished death upon Ren, he would have laughed and then had them executed. And he's sure if someone told Ren that he would allow Hux to undress him after having being injured in a fight that he lost to an untrained girl, he would have sliced them in half. And if someone told them that they would defect to the Resistance and not be upset about it, both Hux and Ren would have killed them. If asked, Hux would be unable to recall an event where he ever truly cared about Ren's well-being. He doesn't know where the urge to protect Ren from Snoke, to protect Ren at all, came from and he's not sure if he likes the feeling that building up in his stomach. A small part of Hux reminds him that when he came across Ren's unconscious-self, he momentarily contemplated shooting Ren with his blaster.

Remembering that Ren's lightsaber is still in his jacket, Hux stands from the chair and pulls it out, turning it on. The bright red light blinds him for a moment until his eyes are able to adjust. He gives it a small swing, watching it the way it cuts through the air. As he does so, Hux feels something run through him, causing a roar to rise up in his head. It frightens him enough that he drops the lightsaber.

"What are you doing?" Ren's voice startles him as the lightsaber switches off. Hux whirls around, finding Ren sitting up in the bed, holding an arm across his stomach while wearing what could be considered a smile on his face. Hux can't recall ever seeing Ren's face like that. 

"I was curious," He argues, "I pocketed it before I took you from Starkiller."

Ren nods, his smile disappearing. "You felt something, didn't you? When you swung it." Hux nods, picking up the lightsaber and handing it to Ren. He watches Ren switch it on, and feels that something run through him again. "I can teach you how to use it. The lightsaber and the Force."

"The Force?" Hux asks, confused. "Snoke told me that I don't possess the Force."

"He lied," Ren states matter-of-factly. "You have it, it was just suppressed by Snoke. The something you just felt, that's the Force. I think I can feel it returning to me now that I've rested for a while and have started recovering. Do you want me to teach you?"

Hux nods, his mouth going dry; he's not sure if he likes this new development. But before he can respond to Ren, the doors open behind him and someone's slamming something over the back of his head, sending him to the floor. He hears Ren shout his name from above him. Hux feels a knee dig into his back for a moment before he's being rolled over. His vision is clouded but he can make out Poe, standing above him, a blaster pointed at his head.

"I told you I would be watching closely." A pair of cuffs are slapped back onto his wrists and Hux is forced back to his feet. He can see someone holding Ren down on the bed, cuffing him as another person hands his lightsaber to Organa who's standing by the door. As Hux meets her eyes, he feels a sharp pain in his head that's not from getting hit. "Come on, let's go." Poe snarls in his ear only to have Organa tell him to stop and that she'll take him. Hux hears Poe tell her that he's tricky and that he wouldn't put it past Hux to try and kill her.

Organa is firm in her position and soon Poe relents and hands Hux over to her. Organa takes Hux back to prison wing and the entire walk there, Hux's head is throbbing. The cell he's placed in this time is different, there are two guards standing at the doors, both armed with blasters.

As the cell is locked, Hux hears what Ren just told him again in his head. "I can teach you... Do you want me to teach you?" No, Hux wants to shout, you don't understand. It wasn't like that, Ren didn't mean that but Hux can't say anything, he can't even open his mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

"Wake up." Hux is pulled from his sleep by a bright light being shined on his face. Blinking, Hux rubs his eyes as he tries to reorient himself. It takes a moment but then Hux remembers where he is, a cell after having been ripped away from Ren. He tries to stumble to his feet only to fall back down to the floor. Hux's head is still spinning, the back of his head throbbing in a sharp pain, a large bump caused by being hit having formed while he slept. Poe is leaning against the doorframe of his cell. When he sees that Hux is awake, he looks over his shoulder and dismisses the two guards. Hux prided himself on never having shown any fear or worry in the face of the enemy when he was a general in the First Order but now, he finds himself backing into the corner of his prison cell. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. You slept through the night, I brought you some food," Poe says quietly.

Poe enters the cell, blocking the light as he closes the door behind him, and Hux can see a tray is in Poe's hands. He searches the Resistance pilot for any sign of a weapon and is slightly surprised to see that Poe doesn't appear to have any weapons on him. Sitting down a few feet away from Hux, Poe sets the tray down and pushes it towards him. The glass of water is the first thing Hux grabs, downing it in one go, his throat parched. 

"Where's Ren?" Hux asks, looking at Poe. "If anyone hurts him, I'll-"

"You're hardly in the condition to take on BB-8, let alone the entire Resistance." Poe comments, laughing dryly. "But don't worry, your boyfriend is okay. He's still in the medical wing, getting treatment for his injuries. After what we heard, him offering to teach you how to use a lightsaber and the Force, you have to understand we had to separate you."

"By hitting me in the head with a blaster?" Hux tries to sound intimidating but it falls flat. "And Ren's not my boyfriend."

Smirking, Poe scoffs. "Sure, whatever. And yes you're probably right; hitting you over the head with your own blaster was probably over-the-top. I apologize for doing that." Hux is surprised at how sincere Poe sounds. 

"And Ren wasn't offering anything hostile. It was a genuine offer to teach me how to control something that I didn't know I had until that moment; Supreme Leader Snoke told me that I didn't have it." Hux mumbles, rubbing the back of his head. 

"Yeah well, you can't blame us. For all we know, you and Ren came as pretend defectors to become double agents for your Supreme Leader and are planning a secret attack on us from within our own base." Poe argues but it only makes Hux roll his eyes. "What? It's a perfectly reasonable thing to think of."

"Not really. Flying to a Resistance base in an Imperial Shuttle with Kylo Ren while you're a General of the First Order would warrant getting blown up instantly. Which would kind of put a dent in Snoke's master plan, wouldn't it?" Hux retorts, eagerly eating the food Poe gave him before looking back up at the man. "Where's Millicent? My cat?"

"On my way down here, he was with Finn, the stormtrooper who defected. Curled up at the foot of his bed." Poe replies. Hux isn't sure how he should feel about that statement, his Millicent sleeping with a defector. You're a defector, Hux has to remind himself. 

Standing to his feet, Poe wipes his hands on his pants. "I was only supposed to give you the food and then leave, so I gotta go now. They're going to wonder what I'm doing down here with you or if you're pulling some sort of trick over me. I'll try to bring you some more food and an update on Ren later in the day and I'll see if I can grab Millicent for you as well. I'll get one of the guards to bring you a blanket or something, it can't be warm down in these cells."

Poe begins to close the door only to step back in and adds, "The room that General Leria prepared will be where Ren is moved once he is discharged. And once the General figures out this Force thing between you and Ren, you'll be allowed to stay in that room with your boyfriend as well."

This time, Hux doesn't protest Poe calling Ren his boyfriend and only shakes his head before laying back down. As he hears Poe open and close the cell door, locking it behind him, Hux wonders if Poe had a reason for calling Ren his boyfriend other than to be a joking bastard or if he does believe it. Risking his life to take Ren back to his mother to protect him and stop him from losing his life at the risk of his own, taking in the abuse from the resistance but attacking a man for simply saying something rude about Ren, continuously feeling more worried for Ren's wellbeing than for his own, Hux doesn't like the conclusion his mind is beginning to turn to. Do you think Ren is attractive, Hux asks himself. Yes, you do, one part of mind replies while the other just laughs. Admit it, Hux, you do like Ren. That's why you're saving his life right now, why you didn't shoot him on Starkiller Base, why you're so concerned about his wellbeing. You like Ren and you want him. 

Before he can realize it, Hux has slammed a fist against the cell wall. Drawing his hand to his chest, Hux rubs his bruising knuckles. He's not going to admit it to himself, Hux doesn't find or think that Ren is attractive, and definitely doesn't want him. In any way. Muttering, Hux tells himself to shut up before the door to his cell opens. A guard steps in, a folded blanket in his arms. He tosses it to Hux, saying something about it being Poe's orders then glancing down at Hux's purple knuckles, asks if he wants something for it. Hux shakes his head, pulling the blanket over himself. As he lets the thoughts take control again, he wonders if maybe Ren said something to one of them and decides when Poe or another comes back, he'll question them then.


	6. Chapter 6

"Where is she taking him?" Ren's head is pounding in pain as he shouts at Poe, watching his mother lead Hux away. Despite their differences, Hux is the only person here on DQar who could have a reason to want Ren's survival. "Where?!'

The lights in the room explode as the medic cuffing Ren is thrown away from him. Everyone else in the room freeze, unsure of how to proceed. After a moment, some turn to look at Poe but he's equally as confused on what to do now. He's glad the medic managed to get the cuffs on ren but seeing that the lights still had gone out, Poe's not sure that they'll be much help if Ren decides to try to do something else.

Ren's breathing deeply, his hands clenched into fists as he tries to control himself. he wants the man in front of him dead but Ren knows that if he does anything like that, both Hux and he will face severe consequences. Exhaling, ren repeats himself through gritted teeth.

"Where is she taking him?"

"To his cell," Poe replies warily, as he slowly holsters Hux's blaster. "Where he will be kept until what it is the two of you are planning on doing has been stopped."

Frowning, Ren shakes his head. "We are not planning anything."

"You offered to teach him to use the Force." Poe reminds Ren with a scoff. 

"Would you rather I didn't? Now that we're away from Snok, he'll be unable to continue suppressing the Force within Hux which means that he's unable to control it. If Hux becomes upset, he could last out using the Force."

"As you just did," Poe comments, interrupting ren.

"Yes, as I just did. Only it could be worse with Hux." Ren pauses for a moment as he feels worry begin to build up within him. They're lying, a voice in his head hisses, they're planning to execute him than you. "I want to see Hux; I want to make sure that he's not been harmed or is being harmed."

"No." Is all Poe says before he sees Ren's eyes darken. "I mean not yet and it wouldn't even be up to me. It would be General Organa's decision."

Ren's fists tighten and for a brief moment, Poe feels as though his neck is being squeezed. Until a medic injects a sedative into ren's shoulder and he finds himself relaxing against his will. As Ren feels himself falling asleep, he can hear Hux's voice in his head, pleading with someone that they've just misunderstood. Reaching out, Ren tells Hux to stop, hoping that Hux is able to hear him. Don't anger them. Please. Is the last thing that runs through Ren's head before he's falling asleep.

Ren is awoken by a small, sharp prick in his neck. The first thing on his mind is Hux and as he sits up, opening his eyes, he calls out for his General. The only other person in the room is a small female medic who quickly steps back from him, holding her hands up, a needle in one hand. It briefly flashes into Ren's mind that this is the medic who he accidentally threw earlier. Unable to look at Ren's face, she mutters something about being discharged and being moved to a prepared room in a while before she turns and leaves the room. Ren is surprised to find that he feels guilty about having hurt her. The voice is back in his head, mumbling that the prepared room is really an execution room and he's going to watch Hux be killed. Telling the voice to shut up, Ren tightly grips the bed sheets in his hands. The voice only laughs in response before saying that Ren will soon see that he's not only stupid but wrong. Ren doesn't like that the voice is beginning to sound like his or likes the feeling that erupted in his chest at the thought of Hux being executed in front of him. A few minutes later, the doors to his room are opening and as a small team armed with blasters enter, his mother following them, Millicent jumps onto his bed and gently pushes her head against his side.

Glaring at his mother as she slowly walks around the room, Ren asks if Hux and he are going to be killed. In what seems like genuine shock, his mother looks over at him. "Of course not. Why would we execute you or Hux? We are just here to bring you to your new room. Millicent, of course, is welcome to join you."

"What about Hux?" Ren scowls at her while resting his hand against Millicent's side. "Will he be able to join me?" 

He's unable to ignore the quiet laughs that come from the armed men, turning a glare on them and lifting his hand to let each of them briefly lose the ability to breathe until Millicent meows softly and jumps onto his lap. Distracted by her, his arm falls back to his side, allowing the men to begin gasping for air. His mother is frowning at him and Ren, once again, feels guilty. Returning his hand to Millicent's side, Ren gently strokes her fur while listening to his mother angrily dismiss the men. Listening to the harsh voice, Ren is surprised to find that the anger in it is directed at the men and not him. When the doors close behind them, his mother looks back over at him with a small smile.

"Once I decide what to do with Hux, he will be allowed to join you in the room as well. Do you need help getting out of the bed?" She extends an arm while gently telling Millicent to get off of Ren. She obediently jumps off the bed and goes to wait by the doors, watching as Leia helps her son climbs out of the bed. Ren wants to shrug her off, even throwing her away from him. He doesn't know why she's being so polite with him, less than 7 cycles ago, he murdered her husband. But he knows that firstly, he would be unable to walk more than a few paces on his own and that secondly, as proven already, he's being watched and if he did anything Poe would probably appear from nowhere and unload a blaster in him so Ren just swallows dryly and lets his mother bring him out of the room.

Ren finds himself leaning more and more against his mother's side as they get further away from the medical wing. Walking past several, some, Ren, can see are being used for storage but most are living quarters. They stop at a residence near the end of the hall, and with Leia punching in a four-digit code, saying it as she does so, the doors open. As Leia brings her son to a bed, she briefly explains the layout of the residence. There is a lavatory, two separate bedrooms each with a bed, desk and unit for clothing, and a small room at the back of the residence that a table and two chairs along with some food and storage units. Millicent hops onto the bed beside Ren and quickly curls up, falling asleep on the pillow. 

"Do you know if Snoke can reach the two of you here and find out what happened?" 

"I don't think so. I haven't felt anything or heard anything yet." Ren whispers before adding, "If anything does come through, I will tell you." He's not sure why he said that or if he really will tell his mother anything but it seems to make her happy. 

As Ren is pressing his hand down on the bed, surprised at how soft it feels and the warmth that blankets seem to be giving off, his mother says, "I spoke with Poe before coming down to get you. He mentioned what you told him about Hux is being Force-sensitive and why you offered him training." Ren is ready to begin protesting when Leia continues, "While I can see why you suggest it and I agree, you have to realize to Poe, the man's whose mind you once entered using the Force, that doesn't seem ideal. Hux will need training and as Luke is gone, I guess that responsibility would fall to you." At the mention of Luke, Ren tenses up and glares at his mother but she doesn't seem to see the hatred that flashes in his eyes. "Of course, it will be in tightly watched quarters and only for small periods of time."

As a reasonable offering, Ren nods and turns his eyes to the floor. Hearing his mother beginning to walk away, Ren weakly whispering his thanks. He's unsure if his mother heard until she freezes by the door of his room. Ren is worried that she will ask him to repeat himself but all his mother says is, "It's just good to have you back," and then, as an afterthought, "Ben."


	7. Chapter 7

"You're being released," Poe says as he opens the door to Hux's cell. 

"So what was the point of dragging me here for only 1 cycle?" Hux comments as he stands to his feet, folding the blanket. Poe narrows his eyes, asking if he would like to stay longer. When Hux tenses up, Poe shakes his head and tells Hux to just follow him. "Are you taking me to be executed?"

"What is with you and Ren constantly thinking that you are going to be executed? No." Poe rolls his eyes. "If we going to executed either you, ren wouldn't have been given medical treatment and you would have been given food and allowed to eat in the mess hall along soldiers. General Organa seems to believe that you are ready to move into your own living quarters. Along with Ren, Millicent is apparently already with him. Of course, you're going to be monitored very closely by yours truly. And that's because anyone else would have no problem firing their blaster into your brains and many would turn away without a word." 

Hux mutters quietly that he thinks he would prefer having Poe monitoring him compared to the other Resistance members he's interacted with so far which makes Poe scoff but a smile does briefly play on his lips. The walk seems to drag on, Hux doesn't know if Poe is walking him in circles or it's just because he wants to see Ren but then he sees that he's walking down a hall that contains living quarters. Stopping near the beginning of the hall, Poe gestures to the room that is by the end of it. Telling Hux the code, he says he needs to report back to General Organa before taking off. Rubbing his hands together, Hux walks down the hall on his own and punches the code in. 

He's stepping in before the doors are even fully opened. He hears Millicent meow from somewhere in the residence before hearing the heavy footfalls he's associated with Ren, approaching him. From the corner of his eye, Hux can see the lightsaber resting on a table by the door and then he sees Ren in the doorway and Hux feels as though he's going to throw up. Ren looks much healthier than he did on the way to D'Qar; there's colour coming back to his face, his wound is still fading away and the wound that was on his shoulder and chest appears to be completely gone already.

So Hux is unsure why he feels sick at the sight of Ren. It takes a moment for him to notice that Ren's is shirtless. Is that perhaps why? Ren's, seemingly noticing that as well, brightly flushes before going back to his room and when he emerges he's wearing a thin black shirt that Hux notices is probably too tight on him. 

"There are two bedrooms," Ren comments, rubbing the back of his neck. "You can choose the one you like; I think one is slightly larger."

"It's not important to me which room I have, Ren," Hux replies before gesturing over at the lightsaber. "Did you know that this is here?"

Shaking his head, Ren walks over to pick it up. "I guess my mother left it when she brought me. She gave me permission to begin training you; we'll be watched and it can only be for brief amounts of time. However, I can and will still train you when we are here." Hux nods, glad that he will be allowed to train before following Ren into the residence. Ren points out the second bedroom to Hux before taking him to the back room where he has set out some food. "I wasn't given anything since we were last together and I wasn't sure if you had anything recently."

Hux says that he was brought some but that he is still hungry. They both sit, eating in silence at the beginning before Hux realizes that he forgot to ask Poe why he was calling Ren his boyfriend. Despite everything in his head screaming at him to stop, Hux sets down the bread Ren put out and tries to work up the courage to ask him directly. Glancing up, Ren frowns when he sees that Hux has stopped eating. "Do you not like it? I wasn't sure what you wanted, so I just put out some random things. I can go get something else."

"No, no, no." Hux quickly cuts Ren off, waving his hand, as his face grows warm. He's surprised that Ren seems to be actually concerned about him but he's even more surprised that he likes the feeling it gives him. "When I spoke with Poe earlier, he referred to you as my boyfriend. Had anyone said something similar to you?"

Ren glares at the doorway of the room before looking back over at HUx. "Not exactly. However, when I asked if you would be joining me here when I was informed of the move, a few men laughed and I could feel them saying it in their minds." He growls, banging his hand on the table. "Why?"

"No reason, Ren," Hux says, "I was simply curious. And please calm down, neither of us can afford to have one of your costly temper tantrums here." He reminds Ren who, once again, blushes and looks away from Hux.

They go back to eating in silence. There's an oddly homey feeling in the air that, while it is making Hux slightly uncomfortable, it's not making him want to get up and leave. He finds himself continuously looking up at Ren and when he sees Ren quickly look down at his own plate of food each time; Hux smiles to himself, realizing that Ren is doing the same thing. A small voice pops back into his mind, saying that you don't feel this way with someone unless it's because you like them. When Hux tells it to go away, it only laughs. You don't notice that a shirt is too tight on someone unless it's because you were staring and admit it, General Hux, the voice mocks him, you want Ren as much as you wanted that shirt on the ground and for him to be topless again.

Curling his hands into fists, Hux tells the voice to shut up. When the voice laughs again, trying to coax an admission out of him, Hux snaps back. Alright fine, Hux thinks to himself, you're right, I like him. Happy?

"What did you say?" Ren's voice comes from across the table.

Looking up at Ren, it takes Hux a moment for him to realize that he's just said that aloud. 


	8. Chapter 8

"I didn't say anything." Hux quickly replies, Ren's eyes narrowing at him.

"Who is it that you like? Your Lieutenant?" Ren asks. Who? Lieutenant Mitaka? Hux would've laughed if Ren's voice wasn't so dangerously low. instead, Hux just shakes his head. "Or is it the pilot? Or perhaps the defector?"

Hux shakes his head, swallowing dryly as he sits back. "We're defectors Ren." He settles on saying, not bothering to give Ren an answer to his questions.

"I'm not a defector Hux; I was kidnapped against my will while I was unconscious." Ren suddenly snarls while slamming his hands on the desk as he stands, the chair begin knocked to the floor behind him. "Snoke wouldn't kill if I went back to him. To him, you'd be the defector!"

"Then go back to him but I thought you said that you weren't angry with me for bringing you here," Hux says quietly, more to himself than to Ren but he still hears it. "And I probably saved your life, Ren, so sit down."

Ren glares down at his general, his mouth set in a scowl. "I thought you said that you didn't save my life." He reminds him cruelly, "And I know that you had a hand on your blaster, that you thought about just leaving me behind in the snow so don't tell me what to do!"

Squeezing his hand shut, Ren channels all his anger into it. Grabbing at his throat, Hux begs Ren to stop, trying to plead with him as his airflow is cut off. Hux can feel tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he closes them, trying to stop panicking as it will only make him run out of air faster. Kriff Ren, please just stop, Hux thinks to himself as he feels himself becoming lightheaded, is this all because I didn't admit to you that it's you. Then the pressure's gone and Hux is collapsing to the ground.

"Hux?" Through the ringing in the ears, Hux hears Ren tentatively say his name. Pulling himself back to his feet, Hux falls back onto the chair, his fingers gingerly pressing against his bruised neck. The lightheadedness seems to be growing worse while the ringing becomes louder, blood trickling out of his ears. He can hear Ren call out to him again but it sounds as though he's in a separate room. Ren kneels in front of Hux, resting a hand against his temple. Hux feels the pain begin to slowly subside as Ren looks up at him. Clearing his throat, Hux gestures at the table, trying to ask for a glass of water. Ren quickly stands to his feet, grabbing a glass from the table and lifting it to Hux's mouth. Hux's throat burns as he tries to swallow down the water before he begins coughing.

Pulling the glass back from Hux's mouth, Ren sets it back on the table before kneeling back in front of Hux. As Hux tries to glare down at Ren, he sees tears begin to form in Ren's eyes. There are red and purple dots beginning to appear on Hux's eyes and the skin around them Ren notices just as Hux shoves him away. Stumbling to his feet, Hux feels a weight on his chest. Ren looks helplessly up at Hux, trying to get him to understand that he's sorry but Hux ignores him in favour of trying to stand again.

"Don't." Ren finally manages to speak aloud. "You'll only hurt yourself."

"I'm already hurt." Hux tries to snarl but in his state, it comes out more as a hoarse whisper. "In case, you haven't yet noticed."

"I didn't try to hurt you." Ren replies softly, "I didn't realize what I had done but I stopped as soon as I did."

It slowly begins to begins to set in; what he had been thinking when Ren stopped. Realizing this, Hux glances up to find Ren's tears have begun rolling down his face. Not sure if he should be the one feeling horrible but unable to see Ren in this state, Hux rests a hand on Ren's shoulder, telling him to stop crying and to get up. Ren does stand up but it's only to try and escape into his room. Hux follows him with a shaky sigh, watching as Ren sits on the end of his bed from the doorway. Millicent jumps from the table onto the floor by Hux's feet with a small purr before hissing at Ren who dejectedly stares up at Hux, still crying.

"Ren, stop," Hux orders him before crossing the room to sit beside Ren. He risks setting a hand on the younger man's leg, jumping slightly when a sharp burst of anger courses through him. It takes a moment for Hux to realize that the anger's not his but Ren's.

"I'm not upset that you brought me here." Ren finally confesses, not only to Hux but also to himself. "And I am thankful to you for having saved my life. I also don't want to go back to Snoke. It's just that I'm worried... and scared." His voice drops on the last word as he roughly wipes his nose with the end of his sleeve.

Hux can understand what Ren's saying. He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't anxious about what's to come for the two of them; from the Resistance or from the First Order if they ever find them. Then, remembering something that Ren had said before he began force-choking him, Hux warily says, "And no matter how much you've annoyed me in the past, I wasn't thinking about actually shooting you Ren. And I wouldn't have left you behind in the snow. Snoke would've killed me if I showed up without you."

Finally, Ren looks up at Hux, his eyes puffy and red. "So you came here, defected, because of me?"

"I guess so." Hux frowns, he had never really thought about that. Bringing Ren back to Snoke, wouldn't have changed the way Hux was living or being treated. The only one of the two of them who would be affected would have been Ren. Taking a deep breath, Hux moves his hand to grip Ren's chin, tilting his head down. Muttering kriff under his breath, Hux presses his mouth against Ren's. When Hux pulls back, his tongue running over his lips, Ren grabs the back of his head and pulls him back down into another kiss.

Hux is the one who breaks the kiss again, gripping Ren's shoulder to gently push him away. Both of them feel exhausted. Hux not having gotten the best quality of sleep while in the cell and then being force-choked while Ren is simply tired from the events in the recent days. Looking down at Hux, Ren bits his swollen lips in worry. Is Hux regretting having kissed him? Did he change his mind? Well, why else would he have stopped and pushed you away, Ren's mind helpfully responds.

"Shut up," Ren growls.

"I didn't say anything." Hux laughs quietly, moving one hand to cup Ren's cheek before he carefully brushes his thumb across the healing wound.

"I wasn't talking to you." Ren yawns, pressing his cheek against Hux's palm. Small smiles flicker across both of their faces before Ren lays back, mumbling that he's tired. Hux nods and begins to get out of bed until Ren grabs his wrist. Looking back at him, Hux raises an eyebrow. Ren doesn't offer an answer other than to shift slightly over on the bed and look down at the space he's made. His smile returning, Hux lays down beside Ren who throws an arm around his waist and rests his ear against Hux's chest with a quiet, "Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they finally kiss and confess (somewhat) their feelings. Honestly thought I was going to have it happen sooner than 8 chapters in but I'm glad so many of you guys like so far!


	9. Chapter 9

Hux, the first of the two of them to wake up, finds Ren sprawled mostly over Hux's body. There's a tightness in his stomach as Hux looks down at the still sleeping form of Ren who is snoring quietly. Millicent is curled up at their feet, watching them while her tail moves back and forth over the blanket. Even through Hux knows that cats can't change their expression, he can't help but think that she looks rather smug. "What?" Hux asks, as he carefully rolls Ren off of him so he can get out of bed. Millicent only yawns and gets to her feet, walking up the bed. She settles back down on the pillow Hux had just been sleeping on. 

Opening the clothing unit, Hux is surprised to see that it's already full of clothes and appear to be their sizes. Grabbing a pair of pants and a clean shirt, Hux goes into the lavatory, glad to have a chance to finally clean himself up. Splashing some cold water on his face, Hux stares at himself in the mirror. There's the start of facial hair growing back and his hair is sticking up in all sorts of directions. Frowning at his reflection, he slicks it back with some water before beginning to undress. As he removes that last of his First Order clothing and stares down at the pile of dirty clothing, Hux feels a sense of relief wash over. Pulling on the clean clothes, Hux finishes freshening up before heading back into the bedroom to grab a jacket from the unit. 

He quietly leaves the room, careful not to wake Renas he closes the main door behind him. A few people are in the hall but none look over at him.Tugging his jacket on, he digs his hands into his pocket and tries to find his away outside from memory. It takes a while but eventually, he's walking back by the medical wing and from there he easily finds his way out. It's dark outside but Hux can tell that'll be light again soon. He can count maybe two other people who are outside but after a moment they head back inside, leaving Hux alone. Sitting down on a section of grass, Hux lays back and stares up at the sky. 

Hux can't help but wonder if Snoke knows what he has does done or if he thinks that the two of them perished along with Starkiller. 

"Not changing your mind about coming here, are you?" Startled, Hux begins to sit up but when he sees it's only Poe and an orange astromech, he finds himself relaxing. Shaking his head, Hux lays back down. Poe slowly lays down beside him, his hands folded behind his head and asks, "Why did you come here? Was it because of Ren?"

"Yes," Hux replies, expecting Poe to say something smart back but is pleasantly surprised when he doesn't say anything. "I couldn't stand to see him continuously being hurt by Snoke; he would always come from his training in pain and injured. Each time he would go away, it would be longer and worse. I kept waiting for the time when he wouldn't come back to me and I didn't want to do that anymore so I figured his chances were better with you all."

"His chances?" Poe asks as the astromech lets out a string of beeps. "Yes, BB-8 you heard him correctly."

Hux briefly glances over at Poe who's looking up at the stars with a small smile while the astromech is rolling around the space at their feet. "Yes, his. I didn't really factor my chances into this. I could've left Ren to die but then Snoke would have killed me if I showed up without my co-commander. And if I had brought Ren to him, even half-dead or dead, it wouldn't have changed anything. Snoke would still treat me the same while continuing to torture Ren." 

Watching the astromech, BB-8, for a moment, Hux asks, "What did your astromech hear correctly?" 

"That you have strong feelings for Ren," Poe replies as he flashes Hux a grin. 

Hux doens't bother to reply to him, knowing that it's the truth. Instead, they manage to fall into a comfortable silence as the sky slowly begins to light up. However, Hux is aware of the bump underneath Poe's jacket that he knows is a blaster and he knows that Poe won't need much convincing to use it. BB-8 eventually beeps again, which Poe translated for Hux as the droid asking to go and check up on Finn. Standing to his feet, Poe mutters a bye to Hux but doesn't walk off, instead looks off a short distance away. Worried, Hux stands to his feet only to find Ren walking towards them with Millicent threading herself between his legs. They meet half away with Ren pulling Hux into a hug.

"I thought that you had left." The "me" remains unspoken between them as Hux hugs him back before stepping back. Poe and Ren nod at each other, exchanging quiet greetings. 

BB-8 suddenly lets out a loud beep startling the three humans. Millicent, having managed to jump onto BB-8's top part, is now playing with its antenna, batting it between her paws. Grabbing her, Hux holds her against his chest while Ren kneels beside BB-8 and gently straightens the antenna before nodding back up Poe who smiles at them before tapping BB-8 with his foot and telling him to get a move on. Standing up, Ren returns to Hux's side and wraps an arm around his waist. Millicent, purring loudly, looks up at her owner, giving Hux's shoulder a small nudge before jumping from Hux's arms and running after BB-8 and Poe. 

"I just wanted to get some fresh air; I've been stuck inside since we got here," Hux says while leaning against Ren's side. The base is becoming more active; people are walking around in groups, talking loudly amongst each other but neither Hux or Ren are in any rush to return back inside. A people glance over at them but they leave them undisturbed. "I wasn't leaving. I'm not going to leave, okay?"

Looking over at Hux, Rey finds himself smiling. "Okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it! I hope everyone liked this story because honestly, this is one of my favourite story that I have written and was always fun to update. It's also the first story that I have ever finished and felt happy with the end result. Maybe I'll do a sequel with Ren training Hux and how their relationship will continue or a side story about Rey finally finding Luke with the news that Ben has come back or one about Finn and Poe's developing relationship. Thank you for all your kudos and kind comments, it really kept me motivated.


	10. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Excerpt from the sequel “Return”.
> 
> Rey does find Luke but doesn’t receive the welcome she thought she would. Even the information of Kylo Ren being back can't convince him to return. At the same time, Finn finally wakes up on D’Qar, confused and worried for Rey despite Poe reassuring him that she’ll be fine, before quickly throwing himself into the Rebellion’s plans for defeating Snoke.

“I found him.” Rey grins at Finn and Poe as both BB-8 and R2-D2 beep excitedly at each other. Looking over Finn’s shoulder, her grin widens and she turns back to the ramp of the Millenium Falcon with a shout, “See? He is here!”

The crowd behind the two men parts as people begin to whisper amongst each other; some confused, some in awe. Rey can hear Luke walking up behind her so she steps to the side. As do Finn and Poe who both then pull her into another hug. 

R2-D2 lets out a whirl which is followed by a quiet laugh. “I know R2. I can see him as well.” Rey looks over at Leia who, while patting R2-D2 gently, is focused on the man in front of her. 

Slowly, Luke lifts his head, his eyes briefly looking over at Ren before they settle on his sister’s face. “I’m sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posted the first chapter of "Return" if you want to go check it out.


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